Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

It's no secret that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is all about combos. The game has nearly limitless combo possibilities, but all combos stem from a handful of basic, core systems. Here we'll go over those core systems. Learn 'em all and piece 'em together to form the baddest combos your imagination can devise.

Chain Combo / Magic Series

The basic chain combo, or "Magic Series" as it's often called, is core to all Marvel vs. Capcom games. The idea is this: Normal attacks can be canceled by heavier normal attacks simply by punching in a series of normal attack commands in quick succession. To test it out, get near to an opponent and quickly tap (L) (M) (H). If the (L) attack hits, the (M) attack will interrupt the (L) animation and give you a two-hit combo. The (H) attack can interrupt the (M) to make a three-hit combo.

Chain combos work on the ground or in the air, standing or crouching. Not all characters' normal attacks chain together as cleanly as others, so experiment with your character of choice to figure out the best Magic Series combination. Here's an example of an ideal Magic Series chain combo for Amaterasu on the ground:

(L) (M) (H) + (H) (H) (H) (H) (H)

Special & Hyper Cancels

Cancels let you cancel one move into the next, allowing you to add special moves and hyper combos to your chain combos to build even radder combos. These are the basic rules of canceling:

Special moves cancel normal attacks.Example: As Ryu on the ground, cancel (H) into his Hadoken special move.

Hyper combos also cancel special moves.Example: As Ryu, cancel his Hadoken special move into his Shinku Hadoken hyper combo.

Off-the-Ground (OTG)

Off-the-ground combos, commonly abbreviated as "OTGs," allow you to continue a combo after you've already knocked the opponent onto the ground. Not all knockdown moves allow for OTGs, but a typical route to an OTG opportunity is to knock the opponent out of the air with a (S) attack. The (S) attack in the air almost always knocks the opponent straight to the ground before bouncing them up off the ground just slightly. This makes the opponent vulnerable to an off-the-ground combo. Some opponents can also OTG combo off of their throws.

Example: As Sentinel, launch the opponent into the air and end your air combo with (S). As soon as Sentinel lands, perform a (L) Rocket Punch to hit the opponent off the ground. The (L) Rocket Punch will also OTG combo an opponent off of Sentinel's throw.

Team Aerial

During an aerial chain combo, press any direction + (S) to perform a team aerial combo. Your second character will tag into the combo mid-air. This is good for swapping between characters while the opponent is indisposed but shouldn't be your main course of dealing damage.

Team Hyper

Execute a hyper combo with your point character and, while that hyper combo is still going on, input the command for your next character's hyper combo. Your next backup character will interrupt the point character and perform his own hyper. You can further cancel that second hyper into the next backup character's hyper combo for a total of three hyper combos in one combo—provided you've got the meters to support it. This is another great way to swap characters while your opponent is indisposed.

Assist Combos

There isn't a particular technique to describe here, just a reminder that you can use your assists to help out with combos. You can use assists like Sentinel's α-type to start combos, or use Ryu's β-type assist to work in the middle of your combo. Timing here is always tricky, so experiment.

X-Factor / XFC

X-Factor is a technique new to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. You can activate X-Factor any time while on the ground by simply pressing (L) + (M) + (H) + (S), or all four attack buttons at once. X-Factor temporarily boosts your attack damage, causes you to regain any red portion of your health bar, effectively prevents chip damage, and will even make your character faster. You can only use X-Factor once per match, and keep in mind that its effects are even better the fewer characters you have left. If you activate X-Factor at the start of the match with all three characters, you won't get the same significant benefit as you might if you'd waited to activate X-Factor until you were down to your last character.

But X-Factor has another use called X-Factor Cancel (XFC). You can cancel virtually anything your character is doing on the ground with an X-Factor activation. You can then use XFC to cancel a hyper combo in-progress and immediately execute a second hyper combo to effectively combo two hypers together. Or, more dangerously, you can use XFC to cancel the stun your character experiences when you block. Block an aggressive player's jumping attack, activate XFC and you can attack the opponent before he gets a chance to block. XFC can be pretty nasty in the right circumstances so keep its use in mind instead of blindly activating X-Factor when you want a pick-me-up.

Advancing Guard

This is a basic technique that's key for defense. When blocking, press two attack buttons, like (L) + (M) or (M) + (H), to push the opponent away from you. This is good for creating "breathing" room when an aggressive opponent is crowding you with attacks.

Crossover Counter

Another defensive move. While blocking, press + (A1) or (A2) to cause your backup character to swap in with an automatic attack. This can be a good way of saving a character that's about to die to chip damage.